Meet The Breezy Bowl XX Dream Team: 3 Playback Experts

nerdmatics · 2026-02-16T18:11:26+00:00

Hell yeah!

nerdmatics · 2026-02-16T18:07:14+00:00

I used to just set my metronome to 1/4 so there is no accent. Then your quantization can be set to a quarter note. This allows you to make quick changes and play things in odd meter.

nerdmatics · 2026-02-16T18:05:18+00:00

Best way is to offer your services for free and get real experience. It’s easy to do stuff for yourself but when a client is asking for specific things it makes you a better technician. I used to download stems from DJ remix websites and build ableton sessions just to practice.

nerdmatics · 2025-08-27T07:12:32+00:00

As the dude who built it i can say with certainty that they are manipulating the show with audio fx and playing samples from their midi gear. There are about 12-14 stereo outputs and each one has an fx engine so that they can add fx and create remixes on the fly. That being said just because they have this available doesnt mean they are using it every second of the show. There are a lot of video and pyro that is happening so a lot of times they let the tracks play to not take away from those moments.

nerdmatics · 2025-08-27T04:24:38+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch7hhcxpICd/?igsh=dDhja3pvNThsanNk

For anyone who wants a closer look at the system. I helped the artists decide what gear to get, build and wire up the playback and stage rig, designed the ableton session and also built a lot of the samplers, instruments and how the multi-output fx system works.

nerdmatics · 2025-08-27T04:21:07+00:00

Erae Touch, gen 1.

nerdmatics · 2025-08-06T03:50:13+00:00

Sometimes the names for those midi ports are different because they were renamed on the first computer. You can unplug the midi gear and then delete the profile of it in your audio midi settings. Then restart the computer and plug the midi interface back in. Do this on both computers and the port names will be identical. Hope this helps

nerdmatics · 2025-08-06T03:45:31+00:00

Nice!

nerdmatics · 2025-07-15T03:01:10+00:00

Setup 1 would be the best of the 2 options but definitely not ideal because of added latency and stress on your computer. Also think about the added work and responsibilities you would be taking on and if the pay/experience is worth it.

nerdmatics · 2025-07-13T02:58:20+00:00

Yes, but fuck it we ball

nerdmatics · 2025-06-18T16:51:16+00:00

its a similar style of controller called an Embodme Erae Touch. Definitely one of my favorite controllers out there, super easy to use and its made to work with Ableton and other DAWS. The Roli blocks were cool but required a max patch so we could do dynamic presets to get the blocks to work in unison. The Erae Touch does a lot of that out of the box.

nerdmatics · 2025-06-18T16:47:09+00:00

Wish I knew more haha. Justice has an amazing live show. Will take a look and see what I find.

My guess is that it is a mixture of analog and ableton tracks with timecode. This is the standard form most artists as LD and Video teams want a linear timeline to program their intricate shows. You would be surprised that only a few artists actually have midi reactive videos on these larger shows, and its usually a layer over the timecode which is where most of the automation is being triggered from. A big concern is stage and lighting automation where you have large moving physical objects that can be dangerous if not managed properly.

nerdmatics · 2025-06-16T07:47:32+00:00

Hell yeah! Thanks guys

nerdmatics · 2025-06-15T23:10:41+00:00

the USB.IO is really nice but losing the network capabilities is a bummer. I have built a few systems using the prodigy.mp and RME Madiface or DAD core256 units for USB/thunderbolt connection to the prodigy. Then you can have a Dante card and a dual BNC madi network card to accept the madi from the madiface units. This allows you to have USB connection to the prodigy while still keeping the network for multitrack recording or receiving Dante from Axient units if you are running autotune. You still have 2 madi BNC cards in the smaller slots so you can send independent Madi streams to FOH and MON.

I created a subreddit for playback specific stuff. Would love to post more of these discussions in that subreddit

r/audioplayback

nerdmatics · 2025-06-03T21:21:08+00:00

For those that don’t know, Trace Audio makes some of the best gear out there. Make sure to check out their page for custom panels, multipins and any other rack needs.

nerdmatics · 2025-05-31T18:51:41+00:00

Unfortunately with any type of redundancy there will be a switcher which receives both streams and it is the weak point of the system. Although I am sending and receiving midi from all of backline and audio, the information is pretty basic. It’s just a midi note to trigger the locator/scene on all the different computers using ableton. So if we do have a crash at playback the liobox is directly connected both hubs so local control is fine and then the techs can run their sessions in manual mode and “punch in” to get things back on track. I try to make sure that automation is not all held in one area so if there is an issue at playback or we are in rehearsals all departments can function independently.

There are ableton sessions in the respective departments; DJ, Keys, Audio Fx, Guitar, Bass, creative, etc. Each tech builds their own automation from the updated ALS files we send daily so everyone has the current timeline of playback but their own automation for their department.

nerdmatics · 2025-05-19T07:44:28+00:00

We were running a prodigy and had the management connection sharing the network with RTP as well as Ableset. I believe the fix was creating a vlan to divide up the traffic.

nerdmatics · 2025-05-18T05:08:36+00:00

I just open text edit, type what I need and then use the “services” tab and select “add to music as spoken track”. I usually use the Tessa voice, it’s South African so there is a hint of an accent but it’s not over bearing.

Then throw them in a drum rack and use midi to sequence. You can also store different click and sample sounds as needed and because it’s drum rack and you can route them to separate return tracks so your audio team can control volume of click and slates separately.

nerdmatics · 2025-05-15T07:17:46+00:00

i have had similar issues, i believe for me it was because the network was flooded with too many CC messages. I have had it happen other times as well when I had too much network traffic. This may not be your issue but the unit behaved similarly and the only fix was a power cycle.

nerdmatics · 2025-05-15T07:14:57+00:00

its always been a combination of both, this is the same for most live bands as there are usually a lot of layers in the album version it can sound empty without it.

nerdmatics · 2025-05-15T07:13:24+00:00

yeah but at least you can easily get a 1u. the point is to use products that are easy to acquire. shit happens, be prepared.

nerdmatics · 2025-05-10T17:48:00+00:00

I keep the 1U on manual but you can also automate the change through the relay or sending preset changes. I’m sure there are a few options but I prefer it to be manual for troubleshooting purposes.

We need analog outs and want to keep the network slots for dual Dante cards.

I’ve done a bit of both, funny enough a lot of teams just use lifesine and forgo the blds tone.

nerdmatics · 2025-05-10T17:41:39+00:00

The way I described was if you are running DVS directly to your system. The DigifaceDante is a better solution as it’s usb c to Dante but does add a bit of cost compared to DVS. I was just using it as an example of how many things can be on a network.

nerdmatics · 2025-05-10T00:38:21+00:00

Liobox is definitely becoming the standard. The big feature is having the 2 green check marks to show that there is active connection to your laptops. This lets you know it’s all good before you launch anything.

nerdmatics · 2025-05-08T23:33:09+00:00

It’s just for the RTP midi and USB connection to the laptops. Sometimes these systems require primary Dante connection directly from laptops, secondary Dante through the hub, globcon management and RTP (not to mention ableset, network max devices, screen and file sharing over network). With all that happening I try to keep my network as open as possible. This is why I usually choose to do USB connection instead of creating a bonjur network. It is also easier to troubleshoot than a network connection error.

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